As of this writing, there is a car sitting on the corner of Church Avenue in Brooklyn, apparently in the parking lot of a Burger King, that is more or less up for grabs.
There are 1,000 keys that unlock this one vehicle – which is rumored to be a Chrysler PT Cruiser, though unconfirmed. An untold number of people already have this key. You can purchase one yourself online for $19, then receive tips about the car’s location through a hotline (337-539-4255). Beyond that, the Keys4All concept is simple* enough to anyone who’s ever played "Grand Theft Auto":
“If you find the car, it is yours. But if you want to enjoy the fruits of your victory and drive, then you must accept the risk of taking the car out in the world – that another driver-errant may snatch the vehicle out from under you.”
So what’s happening here? Is this real or some sort of viral influencer stunt, an Anonymous-style art project, an advertisement for car companies or, worse, crypto? It seems plausible that it is all of these things.
What we know is the stunt is the work of MSCHF, a Brooklyn-based collective that seeks to “expose the absurdity of our cultural, political, and monetary systems.” They also seem to be the beneficiaries of said systems, raising at least $11.5 million in outside investment since 2019. Their best-known stunt involved selling customized pairs of Nikes filled with holy water sourced from the River Jordan.
In this case, as their manifesto explains, the group is setting its sights on the contradictions within the sharing economy and the primacy of the car as a symbol of American independence: “The car is promiscuous in the way only a body or a home can be. The Key4All car is the uncleaned roadside motel of cars.”
OK, fine. We’re going to try to find the car. Follow along here for updates.
*There is actually a lengthy list of terms and conditions, along with pretty significant insurance liabilities, that are worth reading before participation.
12:24 p.m.: In a Lyft now headed to Brooklyn from our SoHo office. I’d hoped to take advantage of this beautiful day and ride a Citi Bike, but it turns out there aren’t any docks in Flatbush. Maybe MSCHF’s next stunt can be expanding bike shares in the boroughs? I’m unsure what my plan is once I get there, considering that I don’t actually have a key to this car. Find someone else who does, I suppose, and coax them into giving me a ride. I just called the hotline — which tells you the vehicle’s current latitude and longitude, along with whether it is moving. It appears to have moved three blocks since I last checked 30 minutes ago. Luckily, it is still not moving. I adjust the Lyft destination slightly, feeling like a character in the movie "Rat Race," with lower, weirder stakes.
1:26 p.m.: OK, I'm in the car.
It's a wood-paneled PT Cruiser with fuzzy dice hanging on the rear view. It was parked, as promised, on 92nd Street in East Flatbush. As I approach, it initially seems like there’s no one inside, until a man leaps from the trunk into a crouching position. I jump back, and he smiles at me. A 28-year-old content creator who goes by MiqoSix, he tells me sheepishly that he is filming himself for TikTok.
A musician who goes by the name of MiqoSix found the car in Williamsburg last night.
Miqo found the car in Williamsburg last night, then left it overnight at the parking lot of the previously mentioned Burger King in East Flatbush. He expected it to be gone this morning, but it was still there at around 11:30 a.m. He got a free burger this morning, suggesting the car may be good luck.
He's been a longtime follower of MSCHF, and though he doesn't know them personally, they tipped him off about the “drop,” he said.
What does he plan to do now that he has it?
“I don’t want to hold onto the car forever, the plan is for as many people to drive it as possible.”
We drive to go pick up his daughter from daycare. As he goes upstairs to get her, he tells me that he’ll understand if the car is gone when he gets back.
3:30 p.m.: I am still waiting for Miqo to come downstairs.
I’d hoped that another MSCHF-maker would attempt a steal, but that doesn’t happen. One guy seems to be eyeing the car, but he walks away soon after, offering only a compliment on the wood paneling and a thumbs up.
4:32 p.m.: After nearly an hour, no one has shown up to claim the cruiser. My Car Watch is cut short by other duties. I’d wanted more conflict, but my hunch is there are only so many keys out there right now (the current recipients primarily seem to be influencers). We’ll see if that changes in the coming days.
I consider the lessons from this bizarre internet experiment. I am impressed, at least, that no one has attempted to strip the “Public Universal Car” for parts, yet. I am confused, still, by its purpose, but confident only that it sits somewhere on the spectrum between “conceptual commentary on the twin human desires of taking/sharing” and “marketing stunt by a particularly adventurous energy drink company.” Most importantly, I learned what it’s like to ride in a PT Cruiser. Pretty fun!
Got any more info about the mystery car? Shoot us a line at tips@gothamist.com.
